New car safety features can help save lives. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has reported that newer vehicles are dramatically safer than older models. A recent IIHS study shows a significant decrease in crashes involving cars with the latest crash avoidance technology. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says advanced driver assistance systems can save thousands of lives each year. NHTSA reports that most of the fatal crashes in 2022 were tied to human error.
Not only do these features save lives, but they can also help drivers save money. “It’s proven that advanced driver assistance systems help keep drivers safer on the road. A decrease in accidents and injuries benefits everyone and allows us to offer discounts to drivers with vehicles that have features like automatic emergency braking systems and blind spot warning,” says Matt Cavanaugh, AVP, product development for Grange Insurance, an affiliate of Integrity Insurance.
You can read more about the latest driver assistance technologies and their real-world impact below.
Blind Spot Warning
Detects when another vehicle is located on your side or behind you. Lane-change crashes with injuries have decreased by 23% because of blind spot warning technology1.
Automatic Emergency Braking
Detects a possible forward crash and employs the brakes for you. Front-to-rear crashes with injuries are down 56% thanks to this new technology1.
Lane Departure Assist
Senses when your vehicle is drifting out of your designated lane. Single-vehicle, sideswipe and head-on crashes with injuries have decreased 21% with this feature1.
Adaptive Cruise Control
Automatically adjusts your vehicle’s speed to maintain a certain distance from vehicles ahead of you.
Automatic High Beams
Automatically turns your high beams on and off when an oncoming vehicle approaches or there is a vehicle ahead
Rear Automatic Emergency Braking
Detects a potential collision while in reverse and automatically applies brakes if a crash is imminent. This technology has helped reduce backing crashes, when combined with rearview camera and parking sensors, by 78%2.
Airbags
New technology can sense the weight and height of occupants, seatbelt use, rear-facing child seats, vehicle speed and more. This drastically reduces injuries if the bag inflates.
Back-up Camera
Provides a wide-angled shot of everything behind the vehicle. Backing crashes are down 17% thanks to the implementation of these cameras1.
Night-vision Assist
Night-vision helps you spot people, trees, curves in the road and animals by brightening objects that are hard to see.
Electronic Stability Control
This feature checks the direction your vehicle is heading 25 times a second and links it with the steering input. If you were to hit black ice and lose control, the system would apply the brakes to straighten the car out.
Parking Assist
This feature guides the car into place while you keep your hands off the wheel.
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Factors to Consider with Smarter Vehicles
According to data from CCC Intelligence Solutions, repairs to vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems and driver-assistance safety technologies can be more complex, costly and may take a little longer than other vehicles due to higher difficultly sourcing and replacing parts.
While repairs can be more complex, these technologies can help prevent accidents from happening in the first place, saving you more time, money and hassle in the long run.
Understanding the limitations of these safety features
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates these safety features could prevent 37 million crashes, 14 million injuries and almost 250,000 deaths over the next 30 years. While advanced driver assistance systems can help you stay safe on the road, it’s important to know their limitations.
These systems are not meant to replace you as a driver, and relying too heavily on it can result in a serious accident. According to data from the NHTSA, speed-related fatalities were up between 2012 and 2021. This rise could be attributed to overreliance on technology and misuse or disregard of advanced driver technologies among other factors. If your vehicle is equipped with newer technology, make sure to read your owner’s manual and talk to your car dealership to get a better understanding of how these systems work.
You can also check out your vehicle’s safety features and see how it ranks against other models at the IIHS safety rating website. IIHS bases its rankings on a vehicles’ ability to protect people in a crash and the technology used to avoid crashes altogether. Vehicles are tested on their front crash prevention technology, which includes automatic emergency braking systems and forward collision warning systems.
Overall, we have come a long way in our journey to safer roadways. Advanced driver assistance systems are proven to prevent accidents, protect drivers and can even save you money. Talk to your local, independent Integrity insurance agent to learn more.
References
1IIHS
2National Safety Council
NHTSA
AAA
CCCIS
Coverages described herein may not be available in all states. Please contact a local independent Integrity agent for complete details on coverages and discounts. If the policy coverage descriptions herein conflict with the language in the policy, the language in the policy applies. For the coverage to apply, a claim must be made and reported during the policy period. Scenarios above are not actual claims. The material provided above is for informational, educational, or suggestion purposes and does not imply coverage. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO QUOTE ANY INDIVIDUAL PREMIUM RATE FOR THE INSURANCE HEREIN ADVERTISED. Integrity Insurance policies are underwritten by Integrity Insurance Company, an affiliate of Grange Insurance Company, and Integrity’s subsidiaries. Integrity companies not licensed in Pennsylvania. Not all Integrity companies are licensed in all states.